Donor families honored for gift of life at the CORE ceremony

Antwon Rice Sr. of Homewood was shot twice in the head during a crime in April 2020.

When he died, his mother, Yolanda White made the difficult decision to donate his kidney and liver through the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), headquartered in O’Hara.

“I didn’t even know it, but he chose to be an organ donor,” White said. “I fulfilled his wishes and helped two other people survive.”

White was among guests of honor Sunday at CORE’s 29th annual ‘A Special Place’ ceremony, which paid tribute to the 325 donors in 2021 that gave the gift of life to 700 people. The event also honored more than 1,300 tissue donors and 849 cornea donors whose gifts offered healing last year.

“I’m sure he’s smiling down,” White said of her son. “I think he’s pleased.”

Hundreds of people attended the outdoor service, which included bagpipes and a dove release to memorialize donors. Colorful quilts were displayed, with each square hand-decorated by families in honor of a donor.

CORE president Susan Stuart addressed the crowd, saying the decision to donate isn’t always easy.

“Your loved ones are the true heroes,” Stuart said. “Every donor family here has given the greatest gift.”

Joy Krumenacker of Brackenridge listened to the powerful stories after three years ago being a guest speaker. She lost her son, Eli Bussotti, in 2018 to a car accident.

“Everyone here shares the same loss,” Krumenacker said. “It’s humbling to listen and share our stories. This is a way that our loved ones can continue to contribute to this big, beautiful world.”

She credited the CORE community for enveloping families with love during their times of grief.

“This allows us to take care of each other, which this world so desperately needs,” Krumenacker said.

CORE is one of 57 federally designated nonprofit organ procurement organizations in the U.S., serving more than 5 million people in Western PA, West Virginia and portions of New York.

Stuart said that each organ, tissue and cornea donor can save up to eight lives and improve the lives of nearly 75 more people.

The Rev. Michael Decewicz of Harmar, who six years ago received a kidney transplant, delivered the invocation.

“It’s overwhelming,” he said. “I can’t believe the generosity of all these people. It’s hard to put into words.”

Brooke Sturgis of Wexford shared her story of receiving a life-saving heart transplant in 2021, followed by a kidney transplant earlier this year.

She now is thriving as a student at the Savannah College of Arts and Design and works to raise awareness of organ donation through social media.

“I made a video for TikTok, not giving it any thought, where I showed my scar and shared my story,” said Sturgis, a 2020 graduate of North Catholic High School.

Her video has 9 million views and her DMs are flooded with people sharing poignant excerpts of their similar journeys.

Sturgis talked about her donor, a 27-year-old man, saying that she loves to “take him places that he never got to see” and how it makes “their heart” happy.

Monroeville’s Rebekah Carper spoke to the crowd about her 10-year-old daughter, Baylee, and the heart transplant she underwent as an infant.

“At the time, I knew nothing about transplanting, but now it’s my world and the reason why she is here today,” Carper said.

The family is facing another hurdle with Baylee now needing a kidney. They learned recently that Rebekah is a near- perfect match.

“It was no question to donate mine, after strangers did the same for her on their worst day,” she said.

Volunteer Donna Wolfson, who lives at the Trafford/Monroeville line, has given time to CORE for nearly two decades as a way to honor the memory of her late husband, Jack Silverstein.

A Type 1 diabetic, Silverstein was on dialysis for more than two years when he received a pancreas and a kidney in 2002. After a successful surgery, he gave back to CORE through volunteerism until he passed away in 2020. He was known for wearing a button with a photo of his donor everywhere he went.

“We became family,” Wolfson said of the donors. “In their worst moment, they were able to give the gift of life and his transplanted organs were still going when he died.”